BSEE: 1 dead in GoM rig accident

The US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has reported a fatality onboard the Petrobras 10,000 drillship, in Walker Ridge 469, 172 mi south of Port Fourchon, Louisiana.

Petrobras 10,000 photo courtesy of BSEE.

The incident happened at 4:45am on Saturday, 2 December. The worker from Spencer Ogden was participating in pipehanding operations onboard the Petrobras 10,000 drillship owned by Transocean. The drillship was working for operator Petrobras America. No other personnel were harmed in the incident, BSEE reported.

According to BSEE's Deepwater Activity Report, as of 5 December, the Petrobras 10,000 drillship was working inside the Chinook field area, which has a water depth of 8835ft.

BSEE is working with the US Coast Guard to investigate the accident, and BSEE has launched its own panel investigation, with inspectors conducting an investigation into the cause of the fatality.

BSEE released a safety alert today, which stated that: "At the time of the incident, the deceased was working on the rig floor and positioned between a stanchion, on the port side of the rig floor with his back to the retracting skate, when it moved causing the 'loading platform' of the skate to pin him against the stanchion. It was reported that there is approximately a 3in clearance between the stanchion and the loading platform. The incident took place within a rig floor red zone – an area where entry is controlled."

BSEE said that it recommends all operators and drilling contractors review their facilities’ hazardous areas and associated safe work practices.